The group descended on Nkandla in support of former president Jacob Zuma have committed treason by challenging the state, according to former IFP leader and prime minister of the Zulu nation, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
Buthelezi says the amabutho (or Zulu regiments) general, Zohogo Maguzumbela Nhleko, also known as “Mgilija'” acted on his own when he led hundreds of people dressed in Zulu attire to Zuma’s homestead in northern KwaZulu-Natal, following the Constitutional Court order that Zuma hand himself over to police to begin a 15-month jail sentence.
Speaking in his capacity as an “elder stateman” on Monday, Buthelezi told reporters that Nhleko would be required to present himself to the Zulu king, Misuzulu kaZwelithini on Tuesday to explain his conduct.
“Our people there are challenging the state and in so doing they are challenging all of us who are guided by the rule of law …. With all due respect for the sympathy people may have for Mr Zuma’s plight, challenging the state and risking lives is unacceptable,” he said.
The Pietermaritzburg high court will hear Zuma’s application to interdict his arrest on Tuesday. The Constitutional Court will hear his rescission application on July 12.
Zuma, who was found guilty of contempt of court by the Constitutional Court for failing to adhere to a court order that he appear before the state capture commission of inquiry, briefly appeared with the group of men outside his home on Saturday.
In a media briefing on Sunday, Zuma repeated in Zulu an assertion that he refused to testify at the state capture inquiry because the chair, deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, would not recuse himself for bias.
He said he had initially thought of handing himself over to law enforcement authorities but changed his mind after consulting with his legal team.
This story has been corrected to reflect that Buthelezi is the former leader of the IFP, and not the current leader as was previously stated in an earlier version. Business Day regrets the error.
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